I need new cabin cushions for my Oday 27'. I have found some fabrics that I like that should cost me under $100.... however I am having some issues finding seat cushion material. I am not sure how thick/quality of the foam I need. Obviously the foam wouldnt get as much use as a bus seat so I am not looking for quite as much "durability" also I dont want to break the budget.

A first quality cushion should be 5", 4" is probably typical, maybe less on real budget boats. A professional glues a layer of spuncotton to the foam for a soft feel and shape. I am not sure of the foam spec.

I suspect that if you don'tuse the proper quality of foam that it will be immediatley apparent when you first sit on the new cushions. The materials for this stuff is probably 30% or less, of the cost of having them made. You should get the best, especially if you are saving labor by doing it yourself.

Use 4" cushions wrapped in dacron. Try various compression ratios out IN THE SAME THICKNESS before deciding what to buy. 20/40 is fairly typical for seating...but too hard for bedding for most people. If you don't use the Dacron wrap you nee to cut the cushions a bit larger than the covers in order to get them to fill out.

If you're going to make the cushions yourself, you probably should look to get the foam from a foam distributor, rather than a marine supplier, as the cost will be much lower. You either need a good closed cell foam—for stiffer cushions, or a very open cell foam for softer cushions. Cutting the foam to shape is very easy if you freeze it and use an electric carving knife to cut it.

Freezing it makes it stiffer, and the electric carving knife cuts through it quite easily, allowing you to cut curves as well as straight lines.

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Telstar 28
New England

You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.

—Cpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)

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